Street Fight - Best Method for Blocking Punches?

[Reyaj]

I am curious about what is the best/most effective way to block a punch coming at you in a street fight.... I've watched boxers use a traditional guard to block incoming punches... however I am not sure this would work in a street fight because you don't have boxing gloves which is what appears to be protecting the boxer's face when he holds his hands up in defense...

Anyone with experience/knowledge of this please reply

 

[Bible_Belt]

It's called a "parry." Boxers do it, but the move goes a long way back in martial arts. Any sort of striking art will teach you how to deflect punches.

For a right handed fighter, your left is your front hand. In a good stance, your hands are already up. A good parry involves very little movement; otherwise your hands move too much and it opens up your defense. Against another right-handed fighter throwing a straight jab with his left, your left hand will make a tiny slap to the right as you step to the left with your front foot. Ideally the punch will just barely miss your face. Your step to the left puts you in perfect position to nail the guy with your right hand, because he's no longer squarely facing you, and that is the fastest way to get knocked out.

You can also step to the left and kick the guy in the gut like this
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x252/dotheopposite/missedpunch.jpg
My opponent led with his back hand, and notice that he missed by a country mile. Both of us are amateur idiots. A better fighter would have put that kick on his face.

Truthfully, in a street fight, you could probably just lower your forehead and let the guy punch you in the top of the head. It doesn't hurt you very much, and he will likely break his hand. There are also other street fight blocks that throw up an elbow into the punch for the same effect.

 

[goundra]

if you open your hands, into "chop" position, and have forearms vertical in front of you, and "tuck" chin into chest, and turn sideways, to protect your nuts, raise front shoulder to protect face a bit. Then your forearms/hands cover you from temples to floating ribs. Learn to front snap kick, stay out of reach (mostly) and cover up/kick.

this is by FAR the best answer to the typical punk lashing out at you. your leg is longer than anyone's arm, IF you know to fold down your ankle, tuck up your toes and strike with the ball of your foot, underneath the 2 biggest toes, in other words. this can take months to learn, it's a big ballance thing, mostly, the kicking. you have HALF as much balance as when both feet are on the ground, right? so you'd better build about TEN times the balance that the average man has, or do NOT try to kick, and don't kick higher than nuts, either.

 

[Bible_Belt]

Now that I think about the original question, it's important to note that what I told you is how to deal with a straight punch, which is only going to come from an opponent with training. And the odds are that you're not going to see that on the street.

In all likelihood, what you will see is a very untrained punch. It will be a wild swing and not straight at all. You will see the inside of the guy's wrist as he swings at your head. Your instinct will be to turn away, but that is the worst thing to do. The right thing to do is a stiff jab to the nose (or kick to the nuts like goundra said). The jab is faster than the swing, so you never get hit. You need to have been trained in how to throw a jab. The most important part is your feet and how you push off the ground - do it right and your jab has all your weight behind it plus all of his weight as he walks into it.

and turn sideways, to protect your nuts

Yes! You remind me a lot of my trainer. He called it "covering your center line," and it's basically turning just enough so you can't get crotch-kicked. It's a part of defending the Japanese jiu-jitsu striking technique - eyes/throat/nuts all in the same first strike. That's how to fight without rules. I can tell you were taught the same thing.

My trainer had a gym in the late 80's/early 90's, before there was UFC or tough man competitions. He owned the gym with another guy and both of them had a standing challenge to fight anybody anytime. They welcomed challengers every weekend. Back then it was all legal. And they beat everybody, even when fighters heard about them and started driving from hours away.

Then one day they heard there was somebody better in Kansas City, so they drove the six hours to fight him. It turned out to be a little old man who looked like Mr Miagi from The Karate Kid. Then they fought, and the little old man made them both cry like little girls. He kept grabbing their fingers and bending them backwards. After that, they drove back several times to train with him, getting beat up on every time, because it was a great honor to train under someone who could defeat them.

 

[goundra]

there is no reason to "train" to fight other TRAINED men, since trained men are not jerks who attack others. The lack of discipline that causes problems sees to it that such men never get truly skilled. It does not take all that much to defeat the untrained man, but it takes a lot to get past all the training needed to give you the CONFIDENCE that you can do it.

 

[foreverAFC]

havent been in any street fights, but ive done boxing and muay thai for some years, and what i like best is to block punches with my elbow. my hands are already up, so when the punch comes i just lift my lead elbow a tad bit and its enough to block a lot of punches.

this clip shows you a basic idea of what im talking about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qguQfn0QtBs

if you are good though, you will learn how to counter attack, thats what striking is really all about in my opinion.

 

[Vantagepoint34]

I am curious about what is the best/most effective way to block a punch coming at you in a street fight.... I've watched boxers use a traditional guard to block incoming punches... however I am not sure this would work in a street fight because you don't have boxing gloves which is what appears to be protecting the boxer's face when he holds his hands up in defense...

Anyone with experience/knowledge of this please reply

Juke and dance around your opponent.

 

[goundra]

that';s nice, IF there's room to do it and IF the floor surface aint slippery, and IF you aint already hit and hurting, or knee deep in water, snow, mud, etc. IF you HAPPEN to be on your feet at the time, and IF the lighting is such that you can SEE the attacker. Sounds to me like you aint thought this thru very far.

 

[Aristippus]

And to add to what goundra said..... IF there aren't multiple attackers and IF the other guy is willing to play fair and IF he isn't running at you full speed with a knife or a tire iron. IF he didn't decide to sick his dog on you. There are about a thousand other "if" scenarios.

It will work if you're fighting one on one in a ring where there are lots of rules to protect you from being hurt too badly or to protect the other competitor from getting hurt.

 

[jkdwarrior]

Dealing with a punch

In a street fight, when some one is really trying to hit you and your adrenaline is pumping, trying to think of what you are going to do when jabs and wild hay makers are being thrown your way that's not the mind set needed. Create space and take a few breaths to calm yourself down. From my own personal experience and what I have found effective is to cause instantaneous pain entering with a destruction( breaking opponents knuckles) or intercepting( hitting before an attack is landed on me). I recommend training with a contemporary Jeet Kune Do instructor, it will help build the attributes of a street fighter.

 

[goundra]

only if it's small class (3-4 people) and if you get quite a few months of it, at 3 or more hours per week (and figure on $20 an hour, guys, for a real instructor, and such conditions). 6 months plus, so at least $1500, or you a just kidding yourself about how much "help" it will be. I learned 40 years ago, in Korea, for $10 a month, from a 5th dan in taekwando, who was also first Dan in Judo. I was clearing $250 a month at the time, as an E4 in the Army. Similar pricing can still be had, in the 3rd world, if you REALLY want to learn, cheaply.

 

[Purefilth]

Stick your face in front of them!

 

[Vantagepoint34]

only if it's small class (3-4 people) and if you get quite a few months of it, at 3 or more hours per week (and figure on $20 an hour, guys, for a real instructor, and such conditions). 6 months plus, so at least $1500, or you a just kidding yourself about how much "help" it will be. I learned 40 years ago, in Korea, for $10 a month, from a 5th dan in taekwando, who was also first Dan in Judo. I was clearing $250 a month at the time, as an E4 in the Army. Similar pricing can still be had, in the 3rd world, if you REALLY want to learn, cheaply.

I would go with Cartagena boxing classes

 

[goundra]

boxing just IGNORES over 3/4 of the possible moves, offensive and defensive. that's a silly thing to do.

 

[FairShake]

Run away.

 

[Purefilth]

Run away.

This is the first thing any good martial arts teacher will tell you. Only fight if you can't escape

 

[Quiksilver]

Probably best just to learn how to take a punch, rather than to block.

Punches aren't gonna win a street fight. Take a few licks, get under their center of gravity, lift and go hard to ground. If they're still a threat, decide whether its safe to run away or if you have to terminate the threat.



A general visualization is the "spear tackle" in footy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3X-o3Mo7Tw

 

[Bible_Belt]

Run away.

That is at least the first rule of knife-fighting - don't do it.

There's nothing wrong with running away. Just don't turn away while you are within striking range. That is how most knockouts happen, whether it's in a bar or a ring. It's hard to not do, because flinching and turning your head away is a natural reaction. I think it's a survival instinct to protect your eyes.

 

[backseatjuan]

Best method for blocking punches is open carry in your country.


In my country it's t.r.a.v.m.a.t.i.c.

 

[goundra]

bs, I"ve been a gun man all my life and I'd carry concealed if it was a felony to do so, and if open carry was legal, for everyone. I want surprise to be on MY side. you just can't stay far enough away from everyone for it not to be EASY to whack you and take that gun. I can do it easily if i am within 6 feet of you, which you CAN'T avoid on elevators, many streets, many buildings. u need karate skills just to "buy" enough time and space to draw your gun and get it pointed at the attacker.

who SAYS that what the guy will throw at you will be a punch, instead of an eye gouge, hmm? LETTING somebody hit you is stupid. Violent types typically dont LET you run away, they are on you before you even know anything has begun, typicially, or they just wait for another chance. either at you or somebody else. about the time you TRY that mma "takedown' bs, somebody will stab you in the back, or use a descending hammerfist or elbow and break your spine.